Ramvokism
Ramvokism is an ancient, Korati that originated in The Korat region of Assai around the beginning of 35th century . Although the faith reflects a broad system of traditions, texts, and philosophies, it has shared similar concepts, rituals, , , and . It is the world's second largest religion (after Ainism), accounting for nearly 16% of the world's population, and makes up the majority in Southern Kai-Meridia, including the Riden Peninsula and parts of Western Assai. The religion is named after the prophet, Ram, who is considered the Patriarch of the Masterful Sages, a group of accepted Ramvokite saints and other holy figures. Practitioners are known as Ramvokites. Believers acknowledge the existence of a (the Supreme and Unknowable God, "Ai", or "Jäh"), though practitioners generally direct their devotion to one of the four rushin (literally goddesses or spirits): Estas (the Azure Goddess), Sonder (the Violet Goddess), Rinakesh (the Rose Goddess), and Ando (the Emerald Goddess). Other major features of the faith is the belief in , , and and . It views the natural and human world as contradictory, which results in imbalance and disharmony, and ultimately suffering. Ramvokists believe that humanity is in need of order and harmony in order to avoid existential dread and chaos, which can be remediated through embracement of the Four Goddesses. Ramvokism has a played a prominent role in the development of Kaijin civilization and has seen moderate success as a worldwide. The primary scriptural canon accepted universally across the Ramvokist faith are the Benyi, a collection of sayings, letters, and treatises attributed to the Masterful Sages. Ramvokism is traditionally divided into four cults, each dedicating their focus on one of the four goddesses. Each cult maintains their own system of internal scriptures, legal systems and laws, pantheon of minor deities and spirits, clergy, moral code, curated accordingly to the attributes of their patron goddess. In addition, within each cult are a number of different schools of jurisprudence, which operate and maintain their own form of , patron saints, feasts, and customs. A central theological understanding and theme in Ramvokism is balance, with the division of the faith into four cults viewed as necessary and essential. Although practitioners are encouraged to follow one cult, peaceful coexistence and harmonious fellowship with members of the other three cults are viewed as exemplary actions to draw closer to God. The religion lacks an internationally centralized authority or system of beliefs. Modern Ramvokism has been divided into denominations, which unlike the cults, arose not due to theological differences or divine focus, but primarily out of political reasons. Traditionally, Ramvokist denominations have tended to organize around a secular, state government, which fused the secular with the religious. The largest denomination of this kind is Káism, the state religion of Kaishuri and several other Kai nations, which syncretized Ramvokism with Jähimajism, the traditional faith of the Kaijin, and recognizes the Kai Emperor as its intercessor and high priest (pope). Ramvokism's texts and traditions have had a profound effect on secular Kai-Meridian ethics and civil law, and is considered the mother religion of Ainism (an offshoot religion centered around the teachings of the Messianic figure Ematan), which has had an equally profound and important impact on Kai-Meridian morality and culture. Beliefs Concepts of God Ramvokists believe that the universe was created by God, who has no beginning and has no end. God embodies the and represents all that exists within and outside the universe, and domiciles in the spiritual plane of existence. They assert that God is beyond comprehension and thus, believers should not attempt to visualize, conceptualize, or anthropomorphize him. God is referred to as the "Supreme and Unknowable God" and asserts that the division between the physical and spiritual world prevents humans from fully knowing and accessing God in their present state. Nonetheless, God is omnipresent and manifests himself in all forms of life and energies throughout the universe, and attuning one's self closer to God through cultivating faith, exercising balance, and worshipping the Four Goddesses, brings one closer to the knowledge and embracement of God. The personal names of God is Ai and Jäh. The Four Goddesses Ramvokists believe that God created four distinct deities to represent and embody the attributes and values of himself in the physical world. The Four Goddesses are a quadriad of deities entrusted by the Creator to watch over his creation on the world. The Four Goddesses are thus responsible for maintaining and preserving divine order over the world and carry out the will of God for the benefit of God's creation. Although each goddess possesses her own distinct and unique personality and attributes, the four goddess are equal in status, importance, and power, and cannot exist without one another, and are thus unified in purpose and duty. The Four Goddesses are often the principal target deities of worship, with practitioners normally expected to dedicate their devotion to one particular goddess, often corresponding to the prescribed patron goddess of their birth of origin. Worship to each of the goddesses are formally organized into cults which each maintain their own system of laws, clergy, liturgical feasts, texts, moral codes, and expectations which are deemed compatible with the said goddess. While laymen are encouraged to devote their spiritual energy towards their patron goddess, they are by no means bounded to one and are encouraged to embrace all of the goddesses. Clergy and members of monastic orders however, have traditionally expected to revere their patron goddess, as only Ramvokist high priests (usually a secular leader such as the Kai Emperor) are expected to serve all four goddesses and the Supreme God simultaneously. Unlike God, the Four Goddesses possess physical bodies, are finite, not immortal, not omniscient, and not omnipotent. In addition, they are separate and independent from God, which contrasts with the Quadritarian view of God advocated in Ainism, which claims the Four Goddesses are actually four consubstantial persons of the Supreme Godhead. Although Ramvokists believe the Four Goddesses are, to some extent, a projection of God, they do not believe that they themselves constitute a direct part of God's personhood. As inferior gods, the four goddesses thus rank below God and some scriptural text, including those found in the core Benyi books, implies the existence of an intermediary tier of beings between God and the goddesses, suggesting that there are other worlds which are subject to the divine jurisdiction of gods greater than the Four Goddesses. Each goddess has attributes and roles in which reflects her affinity and imitation of God's own attributes. The following table provides a general overview of the major unique attributes and interactions between each of the four goddesses, as well as their general dispositions. All four goddesses are dominant in their general attributes but may have overlaps with others and are not exclusively bound to them, a key principle of Ramvokism known as yatkurs (literally, "free-flowing"), which plays a role in universal balance and harmony. Furthermore, Ramvokist cosmology asserts that the universe is naturally filled with contradictions, and this is reflected in the goddesses, who possess both transformative and limiting traits that support and restrict one another. The General Attributes and Relationships places the Four Goddesses on a multi-axis model with two axes: one for disposition (emotional vs rational) and the other for energy (extroverted vs introverted), as a means to categorize and group the goddesses' orientation and attributes. Goddesses that share the same disposition are compatible while the same energy results in being complimentary towards each other. In addition, there is one additional measurement (responsive vs reactive). Goddesses that share the same quality in this measurement are antagonistic towards each other. However, this does not imply that the goddesses are in enmity towards one another, rather, they serve as one another's true counterpart. The relationship between antagonists formulate a large part of Ramvokist theology and discussed in a large corpus of Ramvokist texts. The absence of one goddesses would lead to the dominance of their antagonist counterpart, which brings chaos and disruption to the natural flow of life and energy. Estas | abode = | mantra = | adherents = Cult of Estas (Estasians) | gender = Female | weapon = | consorts = | mount = Cattle | festivals = | symbols= Bowtie, knot, tassel }}Estas is traditionally ordered as the first of the four goddesses. She is the Mother of Humanity and is thus responsible for providing life and nourishment for God's creation in the world. She embodies mostly positive and feminine attributes, including love, family, music, and happiness. Due to her attributes and status as the Mother of Humanity, she is one of the most worshipped deities in Ramvokism. As the goddess of beginnings, her name and incantations are used to bless the start of ceremonies, rites, and other religious events in Estasian houses of worship, and to a lesser extent, the houses of worship in other Ramvokist cults. Worship and veneration towards Estas is deemed essential to maintain balance in the world, as the absence of Estas would mean the absence of life, and consequently, death. Within the multi-axis model (which rates the four goddesses according to their disposition and energy along two axes), Estas is emotional and extroverted. She is compatible with Sonder, complimentary to Rinakesh, and is resistant towards Ando due to the nature of her attributes in comparison to theirs. Sonder Rinakesh Ando Scriptures , the Patriarch of the Masterful Sages and namesake of the religion, compiled and wrote major portions of the Benyi.]] Balance and order Life and reincarnation Cosmology Epistemology Salvation Worship Rites Calendar and feasts Meditation Prayer Music Cults and schools Cult of Estas Cult of Sonder Cult of Rinakesh Cult of Ando Other cults Denominations Káism History Society Relationship with other religions Ainism Criticism and apologetics See also *Project Genesis Category:Project Genesis Category:Religions